In a conceptual commercial fusion reactor operating on deuterium-tritium fuel, each fusion event results in a total mass loss of 0.0188 u0.0188\text{ u}0.0188 u. The power plant is designed to deliver 850 MW850\text{ MW}850 MW of electrical power to the grid, operating with an overall thermodynamic efficiency of 42%.
How many fusion events must occur per second within the reactor core to sustain this power output?
(Use: 1 u=1.66×10−27 kg1\text{ u} = 1.66 \times 10^{-27}\text{ kg}1 u=1.66×10−27 kg, c=3.00×108 m s−1c = 3.00 \times 10^8\text{ m s}^{-1}c=3.00×108 m s−1)
1.3×10201.3 \times 10^{20}1.3×1020
7.2×10207.2 \times 10^{20}7.2×1020
3.0×10203.0 \times 10^{20}3.0×1020
2.2×10292.2 \times 10^{29}2.2×1029
128 exam-style questions on AQA A Level Physics Radioactivity (A-level only), covering Rutherford scattering (A-level only), $\alpha$ , $\beta$ and $\gamma$ radiation (A-level only), Radioactive decay (A-level only), Nuclear instability (A-level only), Nuclear radius (A-level only), Mass and energy (A-level only), Induced fission (A-level only), and Safety aspects (A-level only). Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.